


bodies possessed by light

by Anonymous



Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awsten + Travis' Slumber Party Podcast Submission, M/M, Paranormal Investigators, Video Cameras, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27999354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A collection of recordings about ghosts, friends, and something sinister...
Relationships: Awsten Knight/Otto Wood
Kudos: 21
Collections: Anonymous





	bodies possessed by light

**Author's Note:**

> if you're on desktop and want the full experience, go read it [here](http://bodiespossessedbylight.neocities.org/) (and come back to leave a comment or kudos if u want)
> 
> if you know who i am, let's keep it between us for this story.... also thanks to my betas for looking over my literal insanity over this monster about the paranormal and an interpretation of parasociality popped in it
> 
> in typical pretentious ao3 bitch fashion, the title is taken from scheherazade by richard siken

**08/06/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕:**

__geoff: we gud for tomorrow?

awstenzoid: n̶͎̤̣̼̜͕͋̔̔͆͋͐̆̓͜͝l̶͕͎̣̜̾̎̽̈́͗̎̀́͘͠ą̶̧͖͕̙̟̻͕̹̹̼̈́̅̿͜͜ ̴̺̣̭͚͉̝̀͛ẗ̴̡̮̜͕͕̗̮̝͎͍̈́̑l̷̯͝ ̶̯͚̿̍̀v̸̩͉̪̰̻͍̥̹̦̯̫̝̲̓̆̌͋̂̈́͠͠b̶͉̬̱̰̘̻̥̤̪̭̤̹͌̐̇͘ả̴̧̺̦̪̺͂̾̈́

__geoff: ...is that a yes or no?

awstenzoid: ṗ̷̨̡͖͎͕͙͙͔̮̳͕̼̳͚͈͉̯͉͍̥̻̻̯͂͗͋͜'̷͔̪̰͉̩̪͎̱̻͍̯͕͓̌͜t̸̢̧̖̯̼͖̟͊̿̃̃̇̕ ̷͍̻͓̈́́̄̊̒̎̈̾͆̋̒̈́̾͋̔̉̍̕͝u̶̠̟̠͔̭̳̘̯̰̱̓̃̈́̋͊̓̓͆̒͒͒̌̎̃̏̒̆͘͠v̶̨͎͈̗̦͈̠̣̪̝̮͇̯̮̼̋̐̌̒̅̿̊̅̃̀̌̐̈́̓̎͋̅̐̌̾̌̍̚̚͝à̸̡̢̗̠̥͇͚͙̲̝͂͆̈ ̵̢̡̨͇̺̯̥̖͈̥̱̼̗͇̘̭͇̥̟̫̫̰̬͉͍̭͓̥̽̎̂̾͋͊̿̒͆͒͗̓̅́͑͒͆́͂̿̔ț̷̡̢̧̡̨̧̢̛͍͔͎͙̘̫̮̲͚̲̹̻̘̳̮̖̣͖͈̐̽̑͛̀̆͘͜͠l̶̡̨̧̥̤̫̘̗̺̤̝͍̱̖̜̮̟͍͇̱͉̝̘̙̼̽̊̍̌̄͋̒̉̄̊̓͐̊̈́̿̄͗͋̈́̿̒̿̎̉͘͝͠͝ͅͅ ̴̡̡̝͎̣̘̠͇̃̾͊̾̍̈́̎͐͗̽̇̊̄̾͒͌̋̾͝ͅp̴̢̢̘̦̖͕̻͈͕͉̫͓͍̜̤͓̹̬̦͇̽̎͜'̷̢̧̨̢̧̨̛̬̞̠͇̯̼̫̲͈̞̙͔̬̹͚̺̞̤̺̫̯͎̟̲̀͋͆͋̄͒̂͛̚̕͠t̷̨̢̧̛͉̰̻̜͎̪̙̜̘̠̜̬͎̘̟̖͔̐̓̑͑̄̏̂̍̉̍̑̂̑͘͘͝͝͝ ̵̢̨̛̺̰̹͍͍͎͔̊̌̒̀̈̓̾̂̀̈́̅̒̑̿̌͘͘̕͜͜͠͝a̸̢̡̢̪̜̳̝̩̤͕̥͙̺̲͉͔̣̬̤͉̤͕̼͖͇̤̗̦̟̓̅ͅỷ̴̨̠̝͚͙͙̠̠̃̍̄̉͝ḩ̵̡̧̯̬̼̣̜͚̠̟̬͓̥̞̺̻̳̘̼̺̞̠̟̿͆͛̾̈̊̍̿̇͆͒̏̀̓͋̎̈́̍̑̽̒͋́̒̑͐̂͘̕͘͠w̷̨̹̘̯̅̎̇̇͊̃̈́̔͐̿̐͑̏̈́̈́͆͗̒͘̚͝͠ẅ̴̨͔̯̠̲̞͚̥̯̖̤͖̻̩̻̻͔̼̱͈̥̝̭͕̮͈̟́̉̂̔̓͂̊̈́͋͗̈́̏͐̑̆̈́͛̏͜͜͝͠ļ̶̡̛̬͕͎̫͇̙̗̰͍̹͂̇̈̄̇̏̔̔͌̃̾̓̔̅̾͌͐̈́̃͑̚͜͜͜͝͝͠k̷̻̲͈̪͇̫̙̈́́̈

__geoff: …

__geoff: i’m coming over

-

**08/06/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 7472616465.MP4**

The recording begins in a parked car with a dusty gray interior. Otto is in the driver’s seat and Geoff is in the passenger seat beside him. 

“It just seems...weird,” Geoff tells Otto. “And not in the usual way. It’s too strange.” 

“But _possession?_ C’mon, maybe he’s just having an off day or wants to screw with you and—” Otto turns towards the camera and scrunches his face. “Was that always on?”

Geoff sighs. “You know he’d want this shit recorded and posted online if I think what’s happening is happening. And if it’s not, I’ll just delete the evidence and we’ll pretend this never happened, okay?” 

Otto stares downwards in thought before muttering out a “Fine,” much to Geoff’s delight. 

His demeanor brightens a little. “Cool. Hey guys,” Geoff addresses the camera. “Um, so I’m pretty sure Awsten’s possessed.”

“He’s not—” Otto begins halfheartedly.

“All his messages have been like, corrupted, and they look super freaky. I’ve been trying to call him too, but—wait, actually lemme just show you.” Geoff fishes out his phone and dials Awsten’s number. It rings for a while, but then a deafening, grating scream answers before he hangs up. “I don’t think that’s normal.”

Geoff looks towards Otto, who raises an eyebrow. “What?” he asks. Geoff shakes the phone in his hand. Otto sighs. “Okay, that's...odd. If you’re so set on it, you check up on him.”

He nods in response and digs through his bag before zipping it up and heading out. Otto slumps against the wheel.

-

**01/24/2010: OTTO!!!!!!! - [deleted channel]**

“Are you recording?” Awsten asks, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes. Behind the camera, Jawn makes a noise in response and Awsten makes grabby hands towards him. “Gimme.”

Jawn groans, but relents. The screen is a blur before it settles. “If you lick my lens again I’ll kill you.”

The camera zooms in on Awsten’s eye before it turns its focus to Jawn’s chin and then monkey slippers on Awsten’s feet. Someone else says something in the distance and the screen blurs as Awsten runs up to the source.

“This is Otto.” The camera shakes and focuses on the man in question before panning back to Awsten. “He’s our new drummer. He’s hot, gets stung by bees a lot, plays baseball, he’s hot—”

“You already said that,” Jawn points out.

“Well it’s _true,”_ Awsten retorts. “Anyways, say hi to the internet Otto.”

The picture catches Otto’s profile. “Hi to the internet, Otto,” he repeats. Awsten gets in frame and makes a wildly happy face before leaning into the camera, ignoring the protests of “Don’t!” from Jawn in the background.

-

**08/06/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: Voice Memo**

GEOFF: “Hey.”

AWSTEN: “Oh, hey.”

*SILENCE*

GEOFF: “So, can I come in, or…”

AWSTEN: “Oh, yeah, sorry.”

*DOOR CREAKS*

GEOFF: “Um, is everything okay?”

AWSTEN: “Why wouldn’t it be?”

GEOFF: “Just wondering. Your messages have been all weird.”

AWSTEN: “Figures. My internet’s fucked, but that _might_ be my fault.”

GEOFF: “Is this occult stuff again?” 

AWSTEN: “Yeah. Sorry.”

GEOFF: “Awsten?” 

*END RECORDING*

-

**08/19/2012: NEW BOY - GhostBoyz**

The camera is excessively zoomed in on Geoff’s face before zooming out.

“This is Geoff,” Awsten introduces from behind the camera. Geoff cradles his face in his hands. “I just watched him run headfirst into a wall and somehow he’s still completely conscious.”

Geoff taps his head. “The benefits of having no brain.”

“And they say being a dumbass will get you nowhere.” The camera pans to Otto on the couch. “Otto, you think I can do that too?”

“You’re going to do it regardless of what I say,” Otto replies.

“Hell yeah I am!” The camera charges towards the wall, halting with a loud thump as the video cuts off.

-

**08/06/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 7472616465.MP4**

Geoff opens the door and slides into the passenger seat. 

“So it’s not a ghost, I’m assuming,” Otto comments.

“What? No, it's just—” Geoff presses his palm against his forehead. “Can you drive me home? I’m getting the worst headache right now.”

Otto adjusts his mirror and glances quizzically at Geoff, but starts the car regardless and reaches out to end the video.

-

**12/06/2010: URSOHARDXCORE - [deleted channel]**

“So you think you’re so harrrrrdcorrrrrrre,” Awsten slurs to the camera. “I’ll show _you_ hardcore.”

“Hardcore!” he proclaims over a raccoon digging in a dumpster.

“Hardcore!” he proclaims as he throws a rubber chicken at Jawn’s head.

The next clip is Awsten yelling as the camera zooms in on a broken plastic knife.

“Aaaaand that is how to be harrrrrdcorrrrrrre,” Awsten says dopily, Jawn leaning against him with a similar expression. His facade breaks when he says, “Hey Otto, get in this shot.”

Otto says something back, but it’s too distant to hear. A car door closes in the background and the sound of an engine starts up seconds later. Their postures shift, disappointed, and Awsten rolls his eyes, annoyed. 

-

**08/07/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 736561726368.MP4**

Otto looks contemplatively at the camera, turning his back only to turn around and carry it.

“So,” he begins. “Awsten and Geoff might be haunted. Figured I’d document it a little.”

He smiles awkwardly, but it slowly morphs into a grimace as he stops the recording.

-

**05/21/2012: 756E73706F6B656E.MP4**

“I am never letting you take me out on ‘ghost’ hunts again,” Jawn huffs tiredly. He slowly lays on the grass. “I think...I think I’m just gonna be here for a bit.”

“And our soldier falls,” Awsten narrates, turning the camera towards him. “So there you have it. That abandoned Burger King is probably only haunted with rabid animals. Next week, we’ll be seeing if that haunted mailbox will stop sending shit from hell.” He’s about to end the recording, but stops.

“Awsten,” Otto beckons softly. The man in question makes a face, but sets the camera where only silhouettes of asphalt and sneakers are in view.

“What?”

“Is this what you do now?”

Pause. “Yeah, kinda. Listen, if you just want your shit back—”

“That’s not where I was going with this. I was gonna ask if I could maybe come along?”

Another pause. “Are you on something?”

“No! It’s just that I feel bad for—” Otto stops to rephrase. “What I’m saying is, I wanna be a part of this. With you.”

Awsten’s clunky sneaker patters before halting. “Okay. But I’m making your first job on this team carrying Jawn back to the car.”

-

**08/07/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 616C6C79.MP4**

The picture shows a dark bedroom floor scattered with books. Travis is sitting in the midst of it, sorting some into different stacks.

The camera views the spines of _Dracula, Metamorphoses: Book III,_ and _Weird Hauntings_ up close. “I’m doing research with Travis because he knows these things for sane reasons.” 

“Just the average elaborate human sacrifice,” Travis deadpans.

Otto’s hand covers the lens when Travis asks, “You think you’re really up for this?”

“It’s not like anyone else will do it. Least you know to stay away from spirits.” 

“Would you even be near those if it wasn’t for him?”

“I’m not—” Otto struggles to find the words and sighs. “No.” 

-

**07/31/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 636F6E666C696374.MP4**

The recording activates on accident, camera tilted on the floor in an unintentional Dutch angle.

Otto walks into frame and Awsten scoffs. They’re having an argument inaudible to the camera.

Otto covers his face with his hand. Awsten glowers, defeated. 

He walks away, overturning the camera with his foot and the video cuts.

-

**08/08/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 6C696172.MP4**

Otto sets the camera on his cabinet top, concealed between knicknacks, and flinches backwards onto Awsten’s bed when the door creaks.

“Haven’t seen you,” Awsten comments coyly. 

“Still had to think things over,” Otto responds.

“Fine by me,” he says, eyes scanning everywhere but Otto.

He seems to notice this, getting up and guiding Awsten’s gaze towards him with a hand to his chin. Awsten stills and stares, entranced.

“Listen, I worry about you. I know I—” Words fail Otto once again. “Wanna tell me what’s up?” 

Awsten blinks vacantly before he pushes Otto to his back on the bed and straddles him.

“Uh.” Otto looks at him, bewildered.

Awsten slowly strokes Otto’s biceps. “I never get to appreciate what’s in front of me. I’m always so caught up in the motions.”

“Okay…?” Otto says perplexedly. Awsten leans in and whispers something in his ear. Otto’s eyes widen as he turns his gaze somewhere out of frame and pushes a giggling Awsten off the bed.

“What?” Awsten asks faux-innocently. “I’m just saying…”

Otto’s eyes flick around the room, hands twitching. “C-can you get me some water? From downstairs?”

Awsten’s head tilts and he gets up. “Alllllllright.”

As soon as he leaves, Otto picks up a mirror from the floor, waving his hand in its reflection. He scours the rest of the room off camera. He returns in frame with Awsten’s laptop, opening it with a stunned expression. 

“Hey y’all,” Otto says in a small voice. He turns the laptop towards the camera and when it focuses, Awsten and Geoff are visible on the computer’s home screen, against it like a barrier. 

To put it simply, they’re trapped.

-

**08/07/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 616C6C79.MP4**

“I only realized it after Geoff came back. That he wasn’t himself,” Otto explains to Travis as he perches the camera on a bookstack. “I adjusted my mirror and he didn’t reflect. And he just got this headache out of nowhere which was also odd for him too. Just wished I realized something was wrong sooner.”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Travis says. “I don’t think anyone’s first thought is paranormal beings when someone acts weird. I mean, at least you have some idea where they could be with the reflections and mirrors and all that.”

Otto sighs. “I just don’t know how this happened in the first place.”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Travis passes a plastic vial to him. “Take this. Maybe it’ll help.”

-

**08/08/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 6C696172.MP4**

Awsten pounds on the screen. “Can you get us out of here?”

Otto turns the laptop towards him. “Dunno. I barely even know what the Awsten downstairs does. I just got holy water in my pocket because it felt right.”

“Not-Awsten’s a vampire?” Geoff asks.

“He’s more of a demon,” Otto explains.

“Secondblood,” Nawtsten corrects off screen. He comes into frame bearing the drink. “It’s a more fitting term than—”

“Reflection,” Otto finishes. Nawtsten’s hand tightens around the cup.

 _“You,”_ Nawtsten says with an accusing finger, slamming the cup on a nightstand, “have a reflection. Those two have a secondblood. Karma and all that.” When no one reacts, he scoffs. “Need me to spell it out? A reflection is a barely-aware copycat. A secondblood, by the magic of the Internet, is a curated personality; a permanent mirror image.”

“Even if you’re me, you’ll never be the real thing,” Awsten snarls.

“You _made_ me, dumbass.” Nawtsten smiles saccharinely. “And I know. I’m better. I’m everything you pretend to be.” 

Otto drops the laptop on the bed and wrestles Nawtsten to the carpet.

-

**08/05/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 7370656C6C.MP4**

“Spell said it needed a witness so I guess this counts,” Awsten says to the lens. The camera focuses on a desktop with an array of candles and different herbs and flora. A laptop is open to a tab titled “Rebonding Spell - for Friendships and Love”. He twirls a snapdragon in his hand before dropping it.

As he picks it up, the screen flashes to another page titled “REFLECT” before disguising itself as the title from the original page. Awsten squints at the screen when he comes back up, but continues on.

-

**08/08/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 6C696172.MP4**

“Awwww,” Nawtsten coos patronizingly as Otto pins his wrists. “Did I piss you off? Make you wanna defend him? That's sweet. I have my own defenses too.” He emits an electronic tone and the Other Geoff materializes, dragging him off Nawtsten.

Something shatters. Nawtsten lifts up his wrists, bleeding out static signals through cracked flesh. Broken, flesh-colored shards lie on the floor. Nawtsten scowls. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!” he screeches, an inhuman sounding pure rage.

Otto flips Other Geoff onto Nawtsten and out of his grip. More shattering. Swiftly, he grabs a plastic vial of holy water out of his pocket as Other Geoff grabs his ankle and reels him in. Otto flails in his hold, the faces of the secondbloods grotesque with fragments of fallen skin and static blood. He manages to squeeze the bottle at his attackers, making them melt like the old candles on the nightstand. 

Other Geoff dissolves away with a hiss, Nawtsten decaying under him. 

“I could never talk to your reflection,” Nawtsten admits as he fades away. “And you’ve always been too real for me.”

“Because I am.”

“Yeah, you really are.” Nawtsten sounds resentful. As he disappears, a bright light shoots out from his place, blinding the room with its presence. When it fades, Awsten and Geoff are on the bed, dazed and confused. Otto jumps up and wraps them in a hug.

“God, that was,” Geoff says, shaking his head. “Oh, god.”

Otto breaks the hug but keeps one arm wrapped around Awsten. “At least you didn’t have to fight off the literal demons.”

“My hero,” Awsten swoons dramatically. He leans closer to Otto’s face, smirking. “I’m gonna make out with you now before I can regret it.”

Otto flushes and before he can say anything, Awsten is pulling him down in a kiss.

Geoff stares vacantly into the distance until he blinks up at the camera. “Wait, did you record all that?”

-

**09/17/201 ̸̧̧̧̛̫̹̮̩̗̋̎̾͒̕: 53636865686572617A616465.MP4**

Awsten squints at the camera, fixing his hair. “Haven’t used this in a while.”

A door creaks open and Awsten takes the camera with him.

“Hey sunshine,” Otto greets from the doorway.

“Hey pogchamp,” Awsten replies obnoxiously, showing his self-satisfied face to the camera.

Otto scrunches his face in confusion. “Do you want a bagel or not?”

An arm stretches out from behind the camera to grab the paper bag Otto holds and the picture blurs. When the image refocuses, they’re laughing, Awsten leaning against Otto on the floor.

“Fuck, I forgot I might not show up on camera,” Awsten says, aware of the recording again. “Reflection Me still hates me. He even flipped me off in the mirror like, last week.”

“Well, you’re still pretty and visible to me.”

“Yeah, but I need people on the Internet to think that too.”

Otto leans in, whispering something to Awsten, who blushes a deep red and swats him away while Otto laughs. Awsten gets up and sets the camera on a nearby tabletop, but winces after, rubbing his temples. The screen creates a pixelated vignette, little glitches popping up here and there, a silhouette of ș̴͑o̴̜͕͑̍m̸̟̏e̶͕̣̽o̸̝͊͛n̷̩͓̓̊ẹ̵͔́̿ f̴̗̈̃l̵̮̦̋̎͛̃̓i̸̭̬̣̞͆͐̒c̶̮̋͆͌̓ǩ̶̨̨̫̮̱͛e̵͉͋r̵̞͓̲̼̔̃̇̈̐ͅi̵̼̜̥̿̐͜n̵͔̓͂g̸̯̑ ò̵̩̪̫̻̤̱̳̺̺̞͋̃́͂̂v̶̥̘͔͙̊̽̓̉̾̋͊̏͑͒̆́ę̴̛̘̠̓́̄̈́ṛ̸̟̦̭͑̓̒̌̈͝ A̴͕̼͈̝̗̣̖̘̲̲̬͇̦̦̹̗̯̹͓͔̅̈̔w̶͖̙͚̮̻̝͙̤̑̐͜ş̵̝̣͔̘̖̳̪̪͙̞̙̱̏͛͛̀͋̈̂̆̅̌̀̿͗́͜͝͝͝t̶̨͖̲͈͕̘̮̰͕͋̃͋̒̓̕ͅę̴̢̫͔͔͈̣͚̯̖̺̟͉̜͚̳͔̤̯͍͚̠̾̂̋͗̆̒͊̓̏̈́̓́̎͒͒͌̾͜ͅn̷̡̛͙͍͙͙͎̹̻̖̖̻̪̦̟̤̤͂̎̽̓̓̃̑̔͒͋̐͂̔͐̇̐̇͗͊̒͘̚͘͜͜͝.̷̡̗̪̥͖͕͖̲̼͈̯̹͎̤̭̙̳͉̥̥̫̓̈́̉͊̽͠͠

The chaos ceases. Otto comes back into frame, hands around his shoulders. They talk with foreheads pressed together, words only shared for themselves, and end with a kiss.

The screen goes black.


End file.
